Wildflowers

A few of the wild flowers growing in our back yard

this spring...

A couple of thistles were nearly as tall as me!  

I can't imagine falling into one of these prickly plants, OUCH!

Along Rookery Road

Rookery Road winds along the eastern half of Lake Martin.  Mostly consisting of rock gravel, it's a dusty and bumpy  ride.  At least it's wide enough to park without blocking others from passing. My husband and I made several trips along this road in our pursuit to seek out birds and other wildlife in the area.  

Portions of the swamp near the southern end of the road are literally covered in duckweed which gives it a bright green, slimy appearance.  The duckweed dissipates and water hyacinth dominates the swamp near the northern end of Rookery Road.  

On my right side (heading north) I viewed some tropical appearing plants (I don't recall the botanical name of these green fan-shaped plants), beautiful yellow wildflowers growing alongside the road, several turtles warming up on logs, a unique camp house, an old wood-framed house (I like old houses), cows in a pasture of yellow wildflowers (signs of spring), squirrels and a variety of birds.

Among the birds we viewed- Red-winged Blackbird, Pied-billed Grebe, Barred Owl, Killdeer, Yellow-rumped Warbler and White-throated Sparrow.  

Thanks for reading!  Have a wonderful, safe weekend!
Linked with Eileen for Saturday's Critters

Louisiana Swamp Tour, Part 3

These are the final photos of our swamp tour which we thoroughly enjoyed.  

I must do this again...

One of my favorite swamp photos

Great Blue Herons are commonly seen around the lake

Our tour guide informed us that this tree was estimated to be about 500 years old.

Louisiana designated bald cypress as the official state tree in 1963.

Bald cypress trees grow slowly.  Over a span of 200 years, they reach heights of about 150 feet.

The trees can survive from 600 to over 1,000 years.

Tupelo gum trees are also common in these wetlands.

The tour guide told us that the term “Don't let the bed-bugs bite,”
literally resulted from using Spanish Moss to stuff mattresses!

Alligator breeding area- off limits during a certain length of time each year

This gator is about 6 to 7 feet long.

They grow from 2" to 12" per year, depending upon their habitat.
Growth rates slow down as the reptile becomes older.

This female didn't want our presence in her sunning area.  

She's attractive- for a gator, that is.

I don't recall the name of these bright green plants- they're pretty but uncommon around the lake.

Some people choose to navigate the lake in a canoe.

Fishing is a popular sport in this area.  Good luck, Mister!

Wildflowers are common around the banks of the lake.

I thought these were lovely.

Thank you for touring along with me.  If you happened to miss the previous two parts of the tour, you can view Part 1 here and Part 2 here.  I will soon post more photos of the Double-crested Cormorants that are common around the lake.  

If you're interested in a swamp tour in Louisiana and you're in the Baton Rouge/Lafayette area, I highly recommend Champagne's Cajun Swamp Tours for their comfortable tour boats and knowledgeable guides. 

Have a wonderful Sunday!